


Sunshine After the Rain

by valentineninja



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Comfort/Angst, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 03:50:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5770132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valentineninja/pseuds/valentineninja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’d done so many things wrong in his life, terrible things that he would one day have to explain to her, but he wanted to at least do this right. Ben wanted so very much to be a good father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunshine After the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> So this can be taken as a companion piece for Dawn of a New Day. It continues some time after, and has more of the family fluff. Hope everyone enjoys! :D

“Focus.”

His eyebrow twitched at the sound of fidgeting, rustling of clothes… chewing?

“Breha… focus,” he repeated, cracking one eye open. The two-year-old sat across from him on her knees, clad in tiny robes very reminiscent of the clothes her mother had worn when they had met. She grinned up at him and he nearly slapped his palm against his forehead when he saw a hand reaching for sand and then rising right for her mouth. “Are you eating _sand?!_ ”

Well, she was her mother’s daughter, so he wasn’t too surprised.

 _No matter how hungry I was, I never ate sand!_ Came Rey’s indignant reply in his head.

“Are you not paying attention to the meeting, Master Rey?” he mocked out loud.

 _I_ was _until I realized that my baby was putting_ sand _in her mouth and her good-for-nothing father was standing idly by!_

 _I was meditating,_ he hissed back, reaching for Breha to gently knock the sand out of her grip.

 _Oh, yes, because meditation is something you_ should _be doing while watching a two-year-old._

The sarcasm rang quite clearly in his head and Ben stood to gather his daughter into his arms. “I was just trying to begin her training a little early,” he grumbled, smiling to himself as the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, and well, he was quite thankful that she had outgrown the hair pulling stage.

He could feel the warmth that suddenly filled Rey’s heart at his words, which in turn warmed him as well.

_Master Luke said that we should give her time to enjoy being a normal child… her training will begin soon enough, have patience. She’s practically still a baby! Besides, I'm still not happy over the fact that you're teaching her huttese..._

He wouldn’t disagree on the fact that Breha was still a baby, he realized as she pressed her little head under his chin and her body relaxed against his chest. It was just… he wanted to teach her everything he knew- _huttese_ and all. He’d done so many things wrong in his life, terrible things that he would one day have to explain to her, but he wanted to at least do this right. Ben wanted so very much to be a _good_ father.

Rey made a noise quite close to a choked squeal of tenderness, and he saw through her eyes his uncle and mother, giving her strange, amused looks.

 _Gotta go,_ she muttered, clearly embarrassed. _Please just make sure that our child does not put anymore trash into her mouth?_

 _Go, focus on your meeting and we will see you later,_ he pushed gently against her. With just a tender caress of her mind against his, Rey shut him out and returned to her meeting.

Ben made his way to the food hall to see what _proper_ food he could find for Breha’s snack time and could only roll his eyes upon stumbling into his two least favorite people.

“Solo!” Dameron called, waving them over. “And where’s my favorite little pilot?” he asked, grinning at the sight of the tiny girl in his arms.

Ben bit back a grimace of irritation as Breha— _his_ only child—perked up out of her doze and her hazel eyes brightened at the sight of the other man.

Finn waved happily at her too, tentatively stretching out his arms to take her, somewhat aware of the annoyance brewing in the girl’s father. Ben looked like he wanted to decline, but reluctantly transferred Breha over, if only so that he could go find them some food.

As he attempted to peruse the food available, he couldn’t quite remove his focus from the table where Breha had so easily abandoned him. He didn’t want to put a name to the twinge in his gut as he watched his daughter clap and giggle with the two men.

She was by all definitions still a baby, but now she walked and could talk, and she knew what she liked and what she didn’t. And Breha, like her mother, seemed to gravitate towards the two fools making ridiculous faces at her, if only to hear her laugh with abandon.

Ben knew that his daughter loved him, had felt her trust and feelings towards him through the force, but even he couldn’t make her laugh that way. Sometimes he wondered if his personality was too dry or derisive to properly raise his child… but then again, Rey never seemed to think so.

His own father had been the epitome of snark and detachment much of the time, and look where that had gotten them? He didn’t want to think about his father though. Thoughts on Han Solo just brought with them pain, misery, and so much regret. The guilt he would carry on his shoulders until his dying day, but he could understand the sacrifice Solo had made, even more now that Ben himself was a father.

What wouldn’t he give up to protect his child? To keep her from turning to the dark side of the force? It had taken him countless battles, many scars, and so much pain to realize that he couldn’t hide away from the dark side. The truly powerful in the force understood that it had to be a balance between both… which was why Rey had been successful in defeating Snoke in the end.

But wait… he had been about to pick out some fruit and other food items, hadn’t he? How in the world had his thoughts spiraled so out of his control between choosing a snack for his kid?!

Ben shook himself out and forced his thoughts into less turbulent waters. He needed to find something soft, without seeds, as Rey had instructed, and found the last of a mushy fruit that Breha could easily eat on her own.

When he turned back to the table where he had left his daughter, he realized that they had been joined by Rey, who seemed to be enthusiastically retelling some kind of story.

Ben stood for a moment and watched, his eyes darting from her to their daughter. Breha, it seemed, would grow up blessed with her mother’s beauty. With bright hazel eyes that seemed to go from green to honey depending on her mood, all the little girl had inherited from him was the color of her hair and the shape of her eyes and mouth.

He smirked to himself as he watched the toddler attempting to forcefully cram spaghetti into Finn’s mouth and he wondered if she was tired of hearing the other man talk. Rey glanced up at him and greeted Ben with a sweet smile, motioning him over.

He reluctantly dragged his feet over to them and handed off the fruit, a lance of annoyance going through him as he watched Breha plant a smooch on Dameron’s face when the pilot pointed to his cheek.

“I’m telling you, Rey, that this one here is going to be a heartbreaker, just like her mom.”

“Oh, stop that,” Rey said, grinning.

“Well, don’t you see? Your beauty and your charm?” Poe asked, tickling their child until she screamed in laughter. “I wonder what she inherited from you, Solo,” he said lightly, clearly meant to be a lighthearted joke.

Rey smiled and looked at her husband, noting the irritated look on his face, and the lance of something else through their bond.

“Now that you’re here, I’ll get some meditation done,” he said, handing Rey the fruit. “Enjoy your lunch,” he called as he went, attempting not to sound _too_ flat as he said it. 

He really didn’t know what bothered him about the scene. He knew that Breha loved him as a father… but what if he failed in getting along with her the way Han Solo failed with him? Would things just spiral out of control again?

Making his way out of the building and toward his favorite meditation spot, Ben took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sometimes he felt out of place in Rey and their daughter’s life. At the start of their relationship, all Ben could think of was that Rey deserved better than him. She hadn’t needed to save someone so far gone and with so much blood on his hands.

But he couldn’t say that he regretted the fact that she _had_ saved him. She had stayed even in those first painful months where it seemed like everyone hated him just for breathing. How had she ever thought that he would be someone worth having in her life?

She was a ray of sunshine, so bright, and always joyful. And him? There were times when he felt echoes of darkness inside of him, sadness and doubts overtaking him. They were polar opposites most times, it sometimes surprised him that their marriage had remained standing strong for so long. But that was unfair... he knew that the both of them had put in an effort to make their relationship work. Rey more often than himself, to bring him out of his moods and dark thoughts. Why did he even think that he deserved her?

“Because I love you and you love me. And I could see the good in you… and now so can everyone else,” Rey replied from behind him, voice patient and gentle. “I haven’t heard these thoughts of yours in a long time. Will you tell me what prompted them now?”

Ben sighed and turned away from the magnificent overlook they were standing before, nothing but water for miles ahead. “Just… thoughts that have surfaced recently. Mostly having to do with my parenting skills,” he finally admitted, giving her a morose look.

“And why is that? Because you saw Poe tickling your daughter senseless?” Rey asked, taking a step closer to him. “She loves those two very much… but you, Ben, _you_ are the center of her universe right now. I have to admit that it made me jealous for a while, but I never had a father of my own, so I can’t understand what she is feeling. Breha loves you because she feels safe with you and because you’re always there when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Neither you or I had that for a very long time.”

Ben let out a soft breath and nodded, feeling his heart accelerate when Rey’s hand slipped into his and gave a squeeze. “What if things change? What if—”

“You can’t live thinking of the what ifs!” Rey cut in, pressing hear head against his heart. “Because then you’d have to wonder… what if you never turned your back on the First Order? What if Snoke had killed me? What if you and I had never married and Breha had never been born?”

His arms came around her in a fierce embrace, his head shaking in denial. “Any life that does not include you or Breha in it is one I would never contemplate.”

“Then don’t ever doubt the way we feel for you. Mistakes were made, Ben, so many mistakes, but we’re supposed to learn from them. Just the fact that you’re with us now, that the First Order is no more… it show how much you were willing to help this world _change_. You’ve made a better place for our child to grow up in,” Rey reassured him, pulling back to give him the full intensity of her gaze.

Ben closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers, his heart so full of love and gratitude for this woman who had saved him from that dark abyss. He’d be nothing without her or maybe he would've still been that shell of a man, full of nothing but hate and rage, bitter and unhappy. His eyes opened to find her watching him, a small smile pulling at her lips. “I love you,” he whispered without hesitation.

Rey grinned and nodded. “I know.”

A chuckle escaped him as his hand cupped her jaw, fingers long enough that he could brush his thumb across her cheekbone as he leaned over to kiss her. He tried to convey everything he felt for her in that moment. Gratitude for her forgiveness and love, relief for her presence in his life. He knew that he had so much to atone for, so many burdens to carry with him, but Rey and Breha made it all feel bearable.

By the force, he would work himself to the bone to prove to these two females that he was worthy of them. Breha would grow to be _happy_ above all else. He knew the importance of her learning about her heritage, but ultimately the choice would be hers. And he would make damn sure that she knew that she was loved.

“Papa!” came a happy squeal from behind them, breaking both adults apart.

Ben felt his whole being sing at the joy on Breha’s face as she ran toward them, her little arms outstretched. The buns holding back her dark waves of hair bouncing behind her in such an endearing way.

Rey smiled as she watched the little girl run to them, Finn and Poe waving as they departed and left the family in peace.

He stooped over and caught the little body that hurtled into him, her laughter joyous and contagious.

“I missed you!” the child said, hugging him tightly.

He chuckled and nodded, aware that they had just been together not even ten minutes before. “I missed you, too, princess. How about we go flying today?”

“Flying! Flying!” Breha chanted, little hands pulling back to clap.

Ben took a few steps forward before turning to Rey and holding out his hand to her. “Come with us?”

Rey grinned and entwined their fingers with a nod. “Of course I’ll come with you.”

Sighing to himself, Ben pressed her knuckles to his lips and smiled. He still couldn't comprehend what he had done to deserve such love, but damn if he wouldn't do everything in his power to protect them and make them happy.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Hope the fluff was enough to trick you all into liking this story.XD
> 
> P.S. There is a song by 98 Degrees(an old, old boy band) with the same title of this story. I didn't think about it until I had finished writing this fic but now I can't get the song out of my head.


End file.
